In celebration of International Women’s Day, Disney on Broadway announces free registration, programming, and participants for the 4th annual “Women’s Day on Broadway” virtual event on Friday, March 12, 2021, beginning at 1 pm EST. All gender identities and expressions are welcome. Free registration is now open at www.womenofbroadway.com.
“On March 11, 2020, we held our 3rd annual Women’s Day on Broadway event, welcoming Secretary Hillary Rodman Clinton as our Keynote Speaker, along with many amazing women from within the theatre community. The next day, the world and our industry shuttered due to the pandemic,” said Anne Quart, SVP Production & Co-Producer, Disney Theatrical Productions. “This year has been unimaginably difficult for our community, who were suddenly cut off from not just their livelihoods but their chosen purpose. With our theatre’s still dark, we knew it was important now more than ever to gather the Women of Broadway to share our stories and inspire and refresh each other.”
Following its launch in 2018, this year’s event coincides with the one-year mark since Broadway’s shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s event, themed “Reflecting Courageously, Transforming Collectively” will continue to engage attendees of all gender identities and expressions in a two-hour virtual event, featuring two substantive conversation sessions entitled “Broadway’s Moms: How Life Goes on When the Show Doesn’t,” and “Broadway’s Second Act: A Conversation about Moving Beyond Intention.”
The first session, entitled “Broadway’s Moms: How Life Goes on When the Show Doesn’t,” will bring mothers together to discuss the unbelievable challenge of parenting and specifically mothering during the pandemic. The panel will be moderated by Cara Cooper and Jessica Rush, co-hosts of the “Broadway Baby Mama’s” podcast. Panelists for this session includes Tanya Birl, Laura Benanti, Vanessa Javier, Julia Jones, and Karen Olivo.
The second session, “Broadway’s Second Act: A Conversation about Moving Beyond Intention,” will be moderated by award-winning ABC News Correspondent, Deborah Roberts, leading a conversation about what actionable steps we can all take to ensure that we not only increase representation of BIPOC women in our board rooms, writing rooms, rehearsal rooms and beyond but that they have equal access to power and privilege. Panelists for this session include Maria Manuela Goyanes, Alia Jones Harvey, Tali Perlman, Eva Price, and Aaliytha Stevens.
Introductions made throughout the event are young BIPOC women ready to join the industry. Many are participants in Black Theatre Coalition’s Winter/Spring initiative, including Marija Abney, Patrice Hrabowskie, Gethsemane Herron-Coward, Tavia Jefferson, Erin Moore, Brittany Monachino, and Phoebe Moore.
The event will feature a prerecorded performance of The Broadway Sinfonietta under the direction of Founder/Orchestrator Macy Schmidt.
For more information and to register for the event, visit the home for Women’s Day on Broadway, WomenOfBroadway.com
